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Man in custody following triple homicide in Etobicoke

Police arrested a man in connection with a triple homicide in the city’s west end Monday evening.

Police investigate a triple homicide at a townhouse complex on Old Burnhamthorpe Rd. in Etobicoke Monday night. A man was taken into custody after a brief standoff with police officers. (STEVE RUSSELL / TORONTO STAR) | Order this photo

A family member came home to a bloody crime scene and the discovery of three bodies in a townhouse in the city’s west end Monday evening.

Shortly afterwards, a man was arrested in connection with the triple homicide that rattled the quiet townhouse complex at 65 Old Burnhamthorpe Rd., near Highway 427, in Etobicoke.

Toronto Police Insp. Tim Crone told reporters at the scene that a family member made the gruesome discovery after returning home at around 7 p.m. and immediately called 911.

Police found a man brandishing a knife and hiding in a nearby ravine.

“There was a brief standoff with the suspect. He was armed,” Crone said. “Officers did a very good job in calming the situation, calming the individual and got him to come into custody without incident.”

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Crone could not confirm whether the three victims were related or how they knew the suspect.

Toronto police spokesperson Const. Wendy Drummond said no children were involved in the incident.

Irma Pregelj was in a friend’s backyard on Saturn Rd., about a block away from the townhouse complex, when she witnessed the arrest in a nearby park. She said about 20 officers apprehended the suspect, who she described as a white, dark-haired man in his 20s.

“He was hiding behind some low bushes and had a knife in his hand,” she said. “He was making a stabbing motion. He obviously was not in his right mind.”

Pregelj said police were attempting to talk the man down when a plainclothes officer tackled him from behind.

“They all went in and took him down and cuffed him,” she said. “It was so bizarre. I just live down the road. We’re all freaking out about it.”

The townhouse was cordoned off by police tape Monday night. Neighbours crowded around it in disbelief.

“This is a pretty quiet area,” said Tony Solazzo, 57. “It’s suddenly not so quiet. Not tonight. This is crazy.”

Michael Czerwinski, who lives a couple doors down from the crime scene, said he plays tennis with a young woman who lived in the house with her parents, whom he described as Russian. He said the young woman attended York University and also has a brother who didn’t live in the home.

Brittany Smith, who lives near the complex, said she would sometimes see the family in the neighbourhood.

“They were very quiet,” she said.

Neighbours said the man taken into custody was a familiar figure in the area.

Anna Tarr, who lives nearby, said one neighbour showed her a photo of the man who was arrested and she said she had seen him helping out when the area was dealing with flooding last week.

“We’ve seen him before. It’s a face that’s familiar in the neighbourhood,” she said.

Rohini Sibas, 48, said she saw police take a dog out of the unit where the slayings occurred.

“It’s very sad,” she said. “This neighbourhood is good. It’s an expensive area. If something happens, police come right away.”

Daniella Silva, 16, said she would bike by the townhouse often.

“I never noticed anything suspicious about it,” she said. “People are generally good here. I don’t know what happened.”

A police officer on the scene early Tuesday morning said forensics officers are investigating and would likely work through the night.

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